chrisw-17947 Reviews

The Batman (2022)

This is why I love Batman so much

[9/10 · 5 March 2022]

And I can see that Matt Reeves truly cares to make a great Batman movie. He understands how Gotham City is literally hell on earth due to the corruption and surrounding danger. He understands the depth of the villains in this adaptation of Batman. He understands the chemistry between Batman and Catwoman. He understands how ominous, mysterious, and gritty his presence is supposed to be.... Because Matt Reeves understands Batman!!! Every action scene is was great because of how it was being shot. No need for over-edited nonsense nor shaky cam. Even if it was handheld in some or most action sequences I surely couldn't tell!

The cinematography is beautiful yet dreadful which is what sets the right mood for a Batman adaptation. What I mean by that is that if anyone wants to make a Batman adaptation, whether if it's a movie, animated movie, video game, another comic book etc., you got to have the right ambience for what makes the scenery in any Batman adaptation gloomy, eerie, and yet touching to admire. This one for sure knocks it out of the park when it comes to ambience in scenery or cinematography.

And these villains... my god how great they were! Riddler being the limelight of this movie is of course unsettling and being taken serious. Penguin is funny yet scary. Catwoman is still the same Catwoman we all know and love.

Lastly, Robert Pattinson makes a perfect Batman. Great delivery Robert Pattinson! I am so excited to see what else evolves in this universe of Batman!

The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)

Lighthearted

[8/10 · 15 February 2022]

This was a vibrant and fun ride! The whole family has such perfect chemistry and the watercolor animation was beautiful to look at. I also liked seeing how playful the editing was, almost like I could tell the creators were having so much fun making this. The Mitchells vs The Machines is incredibly entertaining!

Black Widow (2021)

Either a 6.5 or a 7/10

[7/10 · 11 July 2021]

Black Widow was unfortunately a bit disappointing, but I still had fun watching it. Scarlett Johansson is of course great as Black Widow, but Florence Pugh's portrayal of Yelena is outstanding! I also loved the bond between Yelena and Natasha (Scarlett) as they are sarcastic yet charismatic together. Alongside with the chemistry between Rachel Weisz and David Harbour (who is hilarious in the film). But my big issue with Black Widow is that it mostly feels like what you expect from a Marvel movie. With some of the over-the-top action scenes with fights, explosions, and epic orchestral's. Including teaming up with people at a secret base and having them help the protagonist in the climax. There also is humor as you would expect from a Marvel movie, I laughed at some of the jokes and implied humor but it felt a little too constant. Overall I wouldn't say Black Widow is one of the best superhero movies (unfortunately), but I still would recommend it to Marvel fans!

Cruella (2021)

Craig Gillespie killed it directing Cruella!

[8/10 · 3 June 2021]

I've been anticipating for this movie for over a year and a half now, but I have been neutral with my expectations thinking it might be another Disney live action cash-grab or it might not be that good. Then the reviews came in and they were favorable and other people seemed to like it, and that got me optimistic for this movie. Luckily this did not disappoint!

Emma Stone was truly having a blast with the role of Cruella and I loved her portrayal! Emma Thompson however is heinous yet she knocks it out of the park playing the evil Baroness. Paul Walter Houser is funny as hell playing Horris. The color scheme was very edgy and had some sort of vibrance hidden inside of it alongside with the costume design and the cinematography! I guarantee you if Craig Gillespie didn't direct this alongside with the writers not being involved, Cruella probably would've been a letdown.

However I do have issues; A few times the lighting was dimmed out and it was very hard for me to tell what was happening. I can sometimes tell that CGI was used too much for a few things. For instance, some of the dogs, and even backgrounds or scenery's. And this movie relies way too much on popular 70's songs for its soundtrack. Overall, I had fun with this movie and I think it's one of Disney's better films in recent live-action movies. Great origin story too!

Grade: A-; Score: 8/10.

A Quiet Place Part II (2020)

An Unexpectedly Better Sequel!!!

[9/10 · 28 May 2021]

A little slow in the middle of the movie and ends abruptly (like the first one did). One particular issue I have with A Quiet Place Part 2 is that there are little predictable jumpscares, while others are completely unexpected and well-utilized. But A Quiet Place Part 2 is an excellent sequel, and surprisingly better than the first! I found the first one to be intense, but this was a lot more scary alongside with it being intense as well. Millicent Simmons and Cillian Murphy steal the show with their spot-on performances as well as Emily Blunt and Noah Jupe. The direction, the sound editing, and the narrative of the story is what makes this an outstanding sequel!

Grade: A; Score: 9.5/10.

The Conjuring 2 (2016)

A Competent Sequel

[9/10 · 4 April 2021]

Very rare do you get sufficient sequels, especially if they're in the horror genre. Luckily The Conjuring 2 is everything you really need for a well structured horror movie ( and as a sequel)! The first Conjuring is my favorite horror movie of all time and thanks to James Wan once again, this is one of the greatest horror movies of all time. There are more jump-scares in here which can bother people but thanks to James Wan once again, they are not poorly constructed. My only issue I have is that there is a plot hole that kept me scratching my head and it had to do with the nun (who was disturbing in the best way possible). I just didn't understand what the purpose of having a nun in this sequel was despite being a very ominous presence. Regardless, I loved this movie and it stands out to be a well-done and incredibly scary movie with a very haunting score composed by Joseph Bishara ( who even played Bathsheba in the first film)! Score: 9.5/10; Grade: A.

I Care a Lot (2020)

I (Didn't) Care A Lot.

[4/10 · 6 March 2021]

Rosamund Pike and Peter Dinklage are magnificent in this movie, the movie is filmed beautifully, and the final 14 minutes are cathartic.

That's all I have to say for positives.

This is honestly one of the most incoherent storylines I have ever seen in film. There is hardly any character development and we only get information on what characters are doing at the moment instead of background information (other than they're all awfully unlikeable people) nor the reasons why they do what they do. Also most characters feel like they have been put in this film just to support the story and they're later brushed off from the script. Rosamund Pike's lover (Eiza González) is poorly written and is just in here to make out with Rosamund Pike and just goes along with her orders. My biggest issue is that this movie is completely unrealistic and adds so many tangents that make the movie just scrambled. I was interested for the first 40 minutes then everything went downhill fast.

Score: 4/10; Grade: C-

Promising Young Woman (2020)

Woah

[8/10 · 19 February 2021]

Promising Young Woman is definitely a highlight from the films that were released in 2020. I recently just watched it and I was shocked with the outcome of this movie.

Carey Mulligan steals the show with her dark/humorous presence and performance. She is full of vengeance and unpredictability. Her character has so much great chemistry with her family and friends and even enemies. This movie is very pretty-looking too with very bright colors and gleeful cinematography despite of how dark the subject of sexual assault is in which the movie evolves around.

However, sometimes the movie can suffer a bit from rom-com cliches, which didn't bother me, but it is noticeable. My biggest issue is that there are moments that feel a little bit too far-fetched to be realistic.

The last 20 minutes of the movie feature the most gruesome yet satisfying ending ever. With so much anger built up I felt so relieved at the very end and it will be very polarizing for so many people. Despite the ending, Promising Young Woman is a must-watch for it's subject matter and twisted story! Score: 8.5/10; Grade: A-

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Okay but a bit underwhelming

[6/10 · 25 January 2021]

I loved the first Wonder Woman and was anticipating for the sequel to be great as well since it was also directed by Patty Jenkins. Unfortunately this was just okay. Gal Gadot delivers the energy that Wonder Woman has very well which is why she is perfect for the role. The visuals in this movie are nice. But the action scenes were the best parts of the movie, which leads into my flaws. There are hardly any action scenes in the movie. The first 17 mins are action-packed and then leads to slow and unnecessary exposition over an artifact that grants wishes. Pedro Pascal was okay but I thought his villainous role was a huge miscast. I found him annoying and comical. Kristen Wiig's role as Cheetah was okay as well but I found her character to be a trope as a DC villain (nerd turned into villain). Also an hour and a half later it's just more lazy storytelling with great visuals and well shot and choreographed fight scenes. I also never bought the 80's vibe that it brought because it didn't feel like an 80's movie, it was just telling us that it's set in 1984 because of the fashion, technology, and cars. There are rarely any references to the 80's other than those 3 categories. I didn't hate WW84 but the writing could have been much better. 6/10; C+

I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)

Really dont know how to rate this...

[5/10 · 9 September 2020]

This may be the only review without a rating from me. I'm just not sure how to react to I'm Thinking Of Ending Things. I haven't read the book so I'm not aware of similarities or differences. This is a brilliantly directed movie, beautifully shot movie, well-acted movie, but story-wise I'm just not sure what to think. Maybe a second watch some other time might get my thoughts straight

Mulan (2020)

I completely understand the division

[6/10 · 6 September 2020]

To start things off, this is not a perfect movie and is not as significant as the original but it is a much better live-action remake than last years Aladdin, Lion King, and Lady and the Tramp. I had mixed feelings before watching this after hearing about the changes between the original Mulan and how it was going to be much more serious and lacked any of the best supporting characters. But I actually was intrigued with Mulan 2020!

The cinematography is beautiful and the lighting is immaculate. It's also not strictly serious, this actually witty and goofy at times and structured the same balance between dramatic and comedic moments for an action movie just like the original Mulan. Another thing compared to the original is that both versions had me emotional sometimes as well. They also didn't do a shot-for-shot remake and actually had moments of scenes where they filmed their own scene instead of just copying it from its predecessor.

What throws me off about this remake is that it slides off the grid for its maturity and realism because some (not all) of the stunts look comical as if I was watching a Marvel movie's fight scene. And when Disney was trying to be respectful to the Chinese culture I wished that the whole cast spoke Chinese instead of English. Another thing is that the action scenes feel rushed and too fast-paced. Sometimes the acting threw me off because sometimes some of the characters sound like they're just reciting lines instead of acting how their characters need to feel.

With that being said, I completely understand how this is divisive but I don't interpret Mulan as a bad remake! I do wish Disney would stop remaking movies we've already seen however

Tenet (2020)

Fantastic

[8/10 · 6 September 2020]

So far Tenet is my favorite movie of 2020 and was my most anticipated film of the year. Seeing The Hunt in March had me thinking how long it would be before I would go back to the theaters. Tenet was the movie I wanted to see so bad when theaters reopened and I loved it!

Tenet is a brilliantly directed and edited film thanks to Christopher Nolan's creative mind! The acting is great and the action scenes had me on the edge of my seat. Loved the music score and every moment of the story. My biggest issues with Tenet was that it felt a little bit too long from the first 20 minutes and last 30 minutes, if it was shortened a little bit then it would have been perfectly fine pacing. Another thing is that sometimes the audio with explosions, gunshots, or intense music scores made it hard for me to hear any dialogue and maybe if there were subtitles it could have been acceptable. Overall I loved Tenet and it's so far my favorite movie of the year. Score: 8.5/10. Grade: A-

Bus Stop (1956)

Love Marilyn, was not a fan of this

[5/10 · 17 July 2020]

The premise of Bus Stop sounds intriguing but after watching it, it's completely nonsensical.

Before I get into my cons, I'll start off with pros. Marilyn Monroe steals the show, she is witty and hilarious at some points. The side characters are also great too. The scenery is gorgeous especially with the snowy mountains. This movie was also sometimes funny and had clever usages for humor.

What makes the movie fall flat is its story, it is juvenile and sometimes can be unrealistic. I even found most parts dull, unintentionally awkward and stupid. The man who falls in love with Marilyn Monroe is incredibly annoying (including with his obnoxious shouting) until the last 20 minutes.

Thats another positive. The last 27 minutes I actually loved and kept me engaged throughout the rest of the movie. I would probably rewatch that instead of the whole movie again.

Rating: 5.5/10 (Specifically: 5.9/10)

Fantasy Island (2020)

Sometimes enjoyable, but an overall mess

[4/10 · 17 June 2020]

I had no expectation for this after hearing how horrible it was but decided to watch it after not having anything else to watch. To start things off with positives, the acting is pretty decent , the scenery is beautiful, the film sometimes can be interesting and this movie had potential because the premise sounds really fun and exciting. That's exactly what leads into my issues with the Fantasy Island because the excitement felt forced. I was actually enjoying the first 35 minutes but everything went downhill. My biggest issue with Fantasy Island is that it relies way too much on exposition as if I didn't know what was happening. Sometimes the dialogue makes me feel like I'm watching a teen show from ABC Family with cringeworthy pop culture references. The characters in this are stereotypical including with every horror movie trope that it tries to accomplish. Every character has a fantasy which in my opinion was messy and should have stuck with one that related to one of the plot twists. Thats another issue, there are plot twists that make the story aggravating and one that related to the whole characters fantasy that I found interesting and would have made the movie better if it only had that one plot twist. This movie would have been great and even had some moments that I liked but I hope this is one of the bad movies that gets remade into something much better.

The Lodge (2019)

Not for everyone

[8/10 · 1 May 2020]

If slow-burn horror movies aren't your thing, then you might hate this one. The Lodge made me feel uneasy and psychologically tortured. Coming from the people who made Goodnight Mommy (which I found disappointing), I found The Lodge much better and well-crafted. I love movies like The Lodge and Hereditary that don't constantly use jumpscares and just make me linger with tension because of an unnerving ambience. And I used The Lodge and Hereditary as examples because unfortunately this will be compared to Hereditary due to visual sequences because there is a dollhouse, a funeral, and a grieving moment. There is also another house near the isolated area throughout one scene of the movie, but after watching this I found that other house to be unnecessary. But this is a well-made psychological horror movie that made me uneasy. Worth watching if you love horror movies like this. 8.5/10

Extraction (2020)

Enjoyable film!

[7/10 · 25 April 2020]

Fast-paced action movie with a few issues. But easy to overcome. Beginning with what I liked about Extraction, I thought it was well directed including the action scenes. The cinematography is beautiful including the lighting which really mesmerized me. But there are some issues.Sometimes action sequences happen out of the blue and the plot can become it bit over-the-top. But this is enjoyable to watch! 7.6/10

The Invisible Man (I) (2020)

Very unsettling psychological horror

[8/10 · 29 February 2020]

I was not expecting this to be that perfect even with all the critical acclaim its getting right now. But this was a roller coaster ride! It is a good psychological horror which makes this more watchable because it's not trying too hard to be scary with loud noises or corny jumpscares. And you feel bad for the protagonist (Elizabeth Moss) because she's been through so much trauma and is innocent the whole time and it makes you want other people in the movie to believe she's being tormented by an invisible force. There are a few jumpscares and loud noises but they work well with the atmosphere and they aren't overused constantly, they actually manage to have tension throughout this while using small bits of jumpscares. So far, this is the best horror movie of 2020

Birds of Prey (2020)

Not one of DC's best films, but very entertaining

[7/10 · 22 February 2020]

This is a very fun action movie that is better than Suicide Squad (not trying to compare). But there are issues that I have with this movie.

Pros: Margot Robbie and Ewan McGregor do amazing with their roles and they clearly are having a great time in this movie. The action sequences are well utilized and the vibrance works well with action as well as the charisma that Harley Quinn brings out. Harley Quinn has better one-liners and character background. This is also an incredibly shot action movie and is well directed. It seems to take its time with the story and doesn't feel rushed in order to go with the fun action-packed scenes which was amazing. And the humor in this was very enjoyable and made me laugh a bit. Since this is a Harley Quinn movie, it's lighthearted, colorful, and has clever written ideas about her.

Cons: When I mean it's a Harley Quinn movie, I mean that the movie title should be just called "Harley Quinn featuring Birds of Prey" because its mostly focused on her and the Birds of Prey don't team up until the climax. And the characterization is kind of all over the place. Harley Quinn, Cassandra Cain, and Black Canary seem to be the only characters that have character background. Even though Ewan McGregor did excellent as Black Mask, I didn't really get to know that much about his villain origins and only got to see him be scary and cruel. Huntress felt underused had a few flashback scenes that didn't really work for me. For the acting I thought it was solid, but when it comes to Chris Messina (Victor Zsasz), I just couldn't handle him because I think he was miscast and overacted way too much. And I won't lie, the summary of the movie is very cliché especially for an action movie.

I can see why there are mixed reviews for this but I would have to say this is an awesome movie with great performances, action scenes, and great directing.

Parasite (2019)

Speechless

[10/10 · 11 February 2020]

I've been hearing great things about this and after it won 4 Oscars including Best Picture I just had to see for myself even though I wasn't 100% sure what it was about. After only 15 minutes of watching I fell in love with this movie. And it got every award it deserved. Parasite has so many genres in this movie but I would have to say this is darkly written in the most creative way possible. It's funny, dramatic, and intense. I can't even think of anything that I didn't like about this movie because I seriously enjoyed every minute of it. 10/10

The Oscars (2020 TV Special)

Loved It

[9/10 · 10 February 2020]

I don't usually review award shows but this years Oscars were amazing to watch. I love every year's Academy Award Shows but this was my favorite and the most decent it has been in a while

The Addams Family (2019)

Well... it's okay

[5/10 · 28 January 2020]

I am a huge fan of The Addams Family and I was looking forward to watch this. But I was a bit disappointed. It's not terrible but it's not its own thing. This is a very unoriginal storyline that doesn't feel like an Addams Family movie at all, it's just a reincarnation of a stereotypical kids movie with a clichéd villain and an overused message. Also the animation just looks like it was made by a Nickelodeon production in the late 2000's. For the good parts of this, all I can say is that the dark humor in this was great and made me laugh a bit and the cast is fantastic. Everything else just feels like I've watched it a million times.

The Kitchen (2019)

Tries too hard to be serious

[2/10 · 14 January 2020]

This was one of the dumbest crime movies I had ever watched. The storyline adds so many elements to make it look like a badass crime film but it just makes the whole movie incomprehensible. Everything that happens in this makes no sense and wouldn't even happen in reality. All the characters are vacuously written and they act very hard-core (but for no reason at all). I'm only giving this a soft 2/10 because Elizabeth Moss was the only person in this that actually had vulnerability and made the movie slightly better.

Doctor Sleep (2019)

An Excellent Horror Sequel!

[9/10 · 18 November 2019]

The Shining of course is better, but this sequel is beyond brilliant. Doctor Sleep has the same atmosphere as The Shining did, all eerie and unnerving. The cinematography similarities from The Shining are well-used, Ewan McGregor and Rebecca Ferguson's performances are astonishing. In my opinion, Doctor Sleep and Hush are Mike Flanagan's best films!

In the Tall Grass (2019)

Not the worst but still didn't like it

[4/10 · 8 October 2019]

This movie has its moments but is mostly lacking a plot. It also seems to get more confusing and there is no explanation of what makes the tall grass scary. This is honestly my least favorite Stephen King adaptation.

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)

WORTH THE HYPE!

[10/10 · 30 July 2019]

This is truly Quentin Tarantino's best film. It has the perfect ensemble for a movie set in the retro age of Los Angeles. It's outrageously funny, perfectly written storyline, and sets the right mood for the audience. Profoundly excellent!